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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Court Reverses Pollution Settlement

Compiled From Wire Services

Reversing a landmark agreement in the United States’ largest case of offshore chemical contamination, a federal appeals court Tuesday overturned a $45.7 million settlement to compensate for massive amounts of DDT and other chemicals that polluted the ocean off Southern California.

A U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Franisco ruled the federal district judge who had approved the 1992 settlement between the local governments and the U.S. Department of Justice had insufficient evidence to determine whether the amount is “reasonable, fair and consistent” with environmental law.